Balloon Fight (universe)

Balloon Fight (バルーンファイト, Barūn Faito) is a 1984 arcade game developed by Nintendo. In the game, you control an unnamed man who flies around using two balloons that are connected to his back. Each level features a number of ducks who also float using balloons; the goal is to pop each duck's balloons, eventually sending them to their doom.

The game spawned a few ports for the NES as well as several other video game systems. In addition, a sequel to the game, Balloon Kid, was released in 1990 for the Game Boy.

Super Smash Bros. series

Recently, the game and its main protagonist has enjoyed an increasing amount of popularity, largely due in part to the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The anonymous man, who is officially referred to as "Balloon Fighter" in-game, was considered to be a playable character and representative of the NES era, but did not make it into the final version of the game, instead being edged out by the Ice Climbers. Balloon Fight still receives some attention in Melee, however: Balloon Fighter is a collectable trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the Flipper - an obstacle from Balloon Fight - is a useable item and also a trophy. The original background music for Balloon Fight can also be heard in the Icicle Mountain stage as alternate music.

Additionally, a Balloon Fight reference can be found in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. On the stage The Summit, a fish originating from the game appears when the summit of Icicle Mountain slides into the water. The fish is capable of eating any player unfortunate enough to be in the water at the time, dragging them of the screen and taking a life.